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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Review: Tangle of Need

TANGLE OF NEED

(Psy-Changeling #11)

Nalini Singh
Adult Paranormal Romance
432 pages
Berkley
Available May 29th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Adria, wolf changeling
and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as
unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a
devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already
sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the
primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For
Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her.
It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of
her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another
proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and
a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no
ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have
more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war
that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision
that might just break them both.

MY THOUGHTS

Tangle of Need is a bit of a transition book in the Psy-Changeling series, destined to have to work harder to captivate readers for the single reason it’s the one to follow the raw beauty of Kiss of Snow and the culmination of a combustible courtship so many books in the making. Adria and Riaz share their book with the entirety of the SnowDancer den, their romance existing alongside snippets of past pairings moving forward with their lives as well as little glimpses of an impending brutal war that will be the catalyst for a paradigm shift for the Psy, Human, and Changeling races. That being said, Ms. Singh’s characters are as dynamic as ever despite this story being a kaleidoscope of small elements casting multiple shadows we know will soon reach us in future books, but for now, in this book, we’re able to revel in the display of light and dark, vibrancy and color, that comprises the SnowDancer pack and its allies.

While Adria and Riaz are the sole focus of the romantic element of the book, a little of their light is dimmed by the radiant presence of a deliciously blissful Hawke and Sienna as they try and settle in to the newness of their mating bond. The fact that Hawke and Sienna are a prominent part of this book is in no way a complaint, instead reading the quiet moments between them feels like something special Ms. Singh added just for her readers, granting us added time with one of our favorite couples free of some of the tension and responsibility that weighed so heavily on them as we read their story. In Tangle of Need we see the seemingly innocent and ordinary moments between them, simple day to day things that strengthen our already unbreakable bond with them and further solidify our love for them as a couple.

Adria and Riaz are not fully eclipsed by the not-insignificant shadow cast by Hawke, Sienna, and the Psy civil war though, still magnetic enough to draw us to them as strongly as they are drawn to one another. Both are emotionally damaged in the beginning, hearts in multiple pieces with ragged edges that take every single one of the four-hundred plus pages to begin to piece back together, open wounds healed but souls still decorated with extensive scarring. Their romance is perhaps not the most compelling of the series, but not much can hinder our enjoyment of Ms. Singh’s writing, her world vast and complex and inhabited by men and women, human and otherwise, who bring a smile to our faces every time we peel back a Psy-Changeling cover.

Oh, drool! I love Nalini Singh--she can really write hot books and it's awesome that, after all this time in this series, she's as hot as ever. Even if the romance wasn't the very best of the lot, Nalini's writing just takes the cake.

I need to get back into this series! I mean seriously she is such a fantastic writer plus I think I need my own shifter--I can fake my psy-changling ability. I am woman enough to take on that responsibility :)

I still have to read Hawke's story. It's always checked out at the library, but I see that as a good sign. ;) I love the Snowdancer clan and happy we get glimpses of their happiness as long as it doesn't over take Riaz's story.

Did you know I've still never read a book by her? Could you possibly explain to me the awesome because I'm not even sure how this series works. The whole psy-changling thing confuses me. LOL! Then again, I'm easily confused. Also, I love you. That is all.

Still another series I want to read. This series based on your review still seems to be going strong and keeping your interest. I need to clear out the TBR pile! Are you still considering doing a read along for book one?

Finally! There he is for me to know more about rather than just see him on the sidebar. So his story sounds a bit secondary in this one, but still, I'll want to read it. But I'll have to read a few others before I get to it. That's okay, you seem to really love this series. And I'm on the Angel's Blood series right now so I'll get there one day. Thanks for the review!

Candace - I hope you get to it, I can't recommend all the books enough:)

Jen - Sent you a whole big long email full o'love

Heidi - It's definitely keeping my interest! I think it helps in PNR series when each book is a different couple - it's easier for things to be fresh and new rather than having the same characters face a new challenge:)

Z - Right? I'm not sure how many are planned overall, maybe 3 or 4 more? And I always have to give a shout out to Hawke and Sienna:)

Heather - Hahaha yes, there he is in all his glory:) Glad you're enjoying Raphael and Elena!

OMG! You had me with this review and I'm kicking myself for not starting this series. AND THEN you had to hit me with "open wounds healed but souls still decorated with extensive scarring" and I'm dying. I must get them all and read them back to back.